Ripples
by Blackened
Summary: The Third part in the Jayson Croft series... haven't really got much to say other than that don't expect this to be straight forward. Occurs after the events of both endings of Tainted Blood.
1. Discovery

**Disclaimer: **As with all FF8 fanfictions I have written I do not own FF8 or the intellectual rights to its characters, I am merely borrowing them for my own amusement and non profit entertainment of others (I hope). However I do own characters of my own creation... for whatever that is worth. Lol.

**Ripples**

The castle was nothing but a pile of mouldering rubble now, the power that held it together gone, the creatures that inhabited it now dead or otherwise gone. It had been my home for a year, with her, watching her grow with our child, my old lover's soul reborn in our flesh.

There was the guilt of betrayal as I had given myself to the most hated woman in history so soon after the loss of my first and only love. Ultimecia had created me, manipulated people so that I would be born and come to her at this time to be the father to the child I now hold in my arms. It was funny how someone I had killed all those years ago would come and kill the mother of my child in the form of their younger self but that was the peculiarity of being disengaged from the linear flow of time.

Ultimecia would live forever in a never-ending cyclic movement of time where she would repeat all her past mistakes, her past choices, die again and again to be born in what was her past and her killer's future. That was why she made me, to create this child, so that a part of her would continue on. She defied the laws of biology, having immortality in both ways, yet it had cost me so much, pain, rage, murder… all these I had been and done on the way to where I was now and even as I hold my daughter in my arms I feel sad at Ultimecia's passing, cast into the loneliness I thought was an old friend but was merely a tolerated acquaintance.

When it began I told myself it was because I wanted Meia to live again, to give back the life I had cost her. I had tried to keep myself distanced from Ultimecia, tried to blame her for all the pain my life had been, but I had failed. This woman, this sorceress that I had been told was pure evil had been so like Meia in her personality that I couldn't believe where this idea of darkness had come from. There was no way she was faking it for I could see right through her, the façade she gave to the world as Garden and SeeD rose against her.

Her fear of death was what made her seem this way to the world as she took any path to achieve avoidance of this, the cost of any other life enough so long that she wouldn't lose hers was merely human not evil.

As the time passed and the life grew within her, I had become more entranced by her inner beauty, the side she showed only me. How could a figure reputedly so evil be so good? Then again as she had told me when I first appeared in her world, I knew how easily good and evil co-existed in a single body, my own rage causing me to destroy so many lives. In many ways I was worse than her, so undeserving of the affection she showered on me. I had fallen in love with her, despite the many times I had told myself not to and now I wept at her death, yet I had already killed the one who had pierced her heart. Squall Leonhart had perished by my blade centuries ago, when I too had been a SeeD. But that was when I had been Jayson Croft, when there had been those who had known me as such, but I was no longer that person, I was merely Father to Amie, my daughter, the most powerful sorceress on this world, more powerful than her mother Ultimecia, possibly more powerful than myself, only time would tell for now she was merely a three month old infant cradled in the sling across my chest as I travel this scarred world. It was up to me to see her make this world anew, heal the damage caused by the warring people of this planet after they had fought Ultimecia and themselves in this new leaderless world.

Garden as it once was no longer existed, Esthar was merely a name in history books just like Centra, I myself had destroyed that luminous city, razed it to the ground to get at one single life. The continent of Esthar was still scarred by the ruptures of earth caused by my dark blade Fixxer, which once more hung snugly to my thigh as I began to traverse this bleak world.

It had been hard for me to hide in the shadows, watch the people I once envied and fought alongside battle and invade their way through what had been my home to my lover's room, killing her in the name of good, not realising they were merely following her script. I too was merely following her script, for I knew I was never seen by Squall and the others, I wasn't supposed to exist here. Besides I am now writing the script as the castle fell down around me, Ultimecia's death screams still ringing in my ears, leaving the world in my hands and eventually our daughter's.

The south Centran continent was strewn with the bodies of fallen White SeeDs and monsters, either through wounds or crushed under blocks of stone. The north Centran continent was still as bare as it had been in his past life, the ruins there that had housed Odin and Gilgamesh still standing, if only barely, the strange building ravished by those seeking its supposed hidden powers and the recent Lunar Cry.

What had once been Esthar was now a desolate wasteland, home to the evolved monsters that had dropped from the sky, creatures so much stronger than those that had been subdued by Squall and the others on their travels.

Trabia had been saved by the rift caused by the twin mountain ranges of Mordred Plains, though both the Shumi and Garden there no longer existed, replaced by a city populated by both Shumi and human an elaborate replica of Esthar and pervaded by the adoration for Laguna Loire the long dead president of a similarly long dead city of advanced technology and architecture.

The Galbadian continent had remained untouched by the passing centuries in fact its main countries still existed, though they too had grown and adapted to the passing time.

Galbadia was totally militarised, boasting the strongest weaponry in the world and armed forces second only to Garden. Position in the government was due strictly to military rank, the running of the city according to strict procedures.

D-District prison was derelict, a giant looming corkscrew of rusting metal embedded in the desert, punishment being a lot more swift and fatal in these dark times.

The quaint, old age façade of Winhill belied the luxurious improvements within as younger couples replaced the community that had been there so long ago, the gravestones worn smooth by time, the headstone of one Raine Loire's grave now just a smooth lump of rock, no-one aware of its significance.

Dollet had broken free of Galbadia's grasp despite their inferior weapons, using their superior communications technology to maintain a equal friendship with the stronger country.

Timber's tenacity had finally worn Galbadia down, causing them to increasingly pull away, though the facts that Timber was no longer of no use to them and that there were bigger priorities, namely Ultimecia and Garden, probably also helped in this event. Once independent the people of Timber went one step further to show this and enclosed themselves in a dense forest, much larger than the one that had surrounded it when Galbadia first invaded.

Meanwhile Balamb became the centre for Garden, all other Garden's closed down after Squall Leonhart's death, their role in taking abandoned youths and turning them into Guardians of the world becoming more pronounced as the demolition of Esthar back then caused a small destabilisation in the world powers, radio communication once more enabled, opening pathways to greater technologies and deadlier weapons.

Under the control of Quistis Trepe and Seifer Almasy Garden was able to prevent the escalation of Galbadian greed for rule, though like-minded parties such as General Caraway in Galbadia were also a positive influence on this.

I muse on the way the world was now, how some names stuck and others didn't. Poor Zell and Selphie went the way of many other people, not even making part of the footnote in their part of Ultimecia's demise. The present wrote the past and sometimes things were lost… but also things were never forgotten, or forgiven.

Just like I had never forgiven my father Kazen Orca and his mad cult Pandora for making me the way I was, neither Garden or Galbadia had forgiven me for the murders on my hands. I had taken Garden's great heroes, a great leader who could have prepared them better, prevented so much deaths in the centuries to come as Ultimecia rose from a precocious sorceress, the masses of deaths as Galbadia was locked in a feud with Trabia over a metal ore discovered in the depths of the crater that marred the Trabian continent, were what had caused the young girl to fear death so much and want to avoid it so much. Trabia was entitled to the ore as it was on their land and required its use for buildings and in the production their airships, whilst Galbadia desired merely for its defensive/offensive capabilities, the metal so resilient that it tore through anything else. It was Ultimecia herself who ended the battle as she took the ore from crater and melted it before all their eyes with a fiery hand, a sea of liquid metal scorching the battlefield as the tide of silver washed away into the sea where it sank to the ocean's depths never to be found again.

That was when the world realised who she was and what she was to become, especially those in Trabia where the Junction Machine Ellone had been built from surviving plans of Odine's and enabled to see into the past further than most.

Garden mobilised immediately to paradoxically protect her from the other worldly powers until she reached maturity, the Galbadians thought them crazy as they didn't prevent her from destroying lives and the Centran continent in her quest for immortality, finally taking Junction Machine Ellone from Trabia by force and learning of her cyclic immortality by feeling her way through the collected souls of sorceresses past.

She knew that to remain alive forever she would have to create a loop in time and so she began her search for the namesake of the machine that had helped her see her path, to find the young woman who would become the linchpin of her immortality. Ultimecia never desired the compressed world that would occur as she was shunted back through time by Ellone, she merely wanted it as a reason for Squall, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine to come to the future to kill her, create this continuous loop of events as she was dropped in Edea as time broke allowing her to shape events so that Ellone would call upon her foster siblings when she felt Ultimecia coming for her. Ultimecia's possession of Adel due to Ellone pushing her back there to create the compressed world had a dual effect; that of causing Adel to hunt Ellone in the first place so that they'd meet and also in creating me.

But I guess I digress, I was speaking of being unforgiven before I started talking about how she came to be, but I guess that is tied in with my own guilt at my past, how the SeeDs that protected her to begin with turned on her, to be found lying dead around the castle by Squall and the others when they arrived. They wouldn't have attacked or died so needlessly if I had never killed Squall and those that I did back then, my name somehow surviving through all this time on the lips of SeeD, my face etched into their memory somehow. I have no idea who or how they figured I disappeared in time after I killed Squall on the coast of Esthar way back then, maybe it was Selphie, after what I did to her I guess she could never forgive and let go, and so SeeDs were prepared to confront me through the generations, yet when I finally arrived their sense of vengeance was futile, Ultimecia wouldn't let me be taken from my purpose of raising our daughter, for I couldn't die, all they'd do is inflict me with wounds for eternity… what good would that do to abate their rage? I know that the death of tormentors gives only a fleeting reprieve from the pain and rage, that healing only comes from within.

Yet they wouldn't give up their purpose until they saw me dead, attacking the castle walls again and again, tearing masonry until I myself went out to confront them with my upgraded Fixxer, the blade enhanced by the metal that had been instrumental in Ultimecia's lifelong purpose. Now their weapons had advanced a lot since my time yet they still remained the same in form. It took nearly a day of fighting, me and my metallic blade against a sea of trained warriors brandishing whips, swords of pure energy rather than metal, fists, staffs, projectiles, all decaying into gore, sweat, screams as I cut through it all, tears of sadness at it all yet knowing it had to be done, show them that they wouldn't succeed, to let it go before there was none of them left.

That realisation finally dawned and a faintly familiar figure called an end to it all, pulling back all those living and wounded. This also meant that we were open to attack from the other countries of the world as Garden no longer had a presence at the castle, yet it seemed my actions demonstrated to them too that they had no chance of winning and so we were left alone, to wait for the past to come and catch up on us…

**Extract of audio journal found in a strange relic at the Centran ruins.**

He rewound the recording, the smooth stone pulsating in his hand as his fingers pressed the groove that caused it to do so. It had taken them days to work out what this large fist sized orb did, when they first found it they assumed it to be some simple gem like that had been used by their parents to open the door to Odin. It was a technology that was so far in advance of their own and yet held the voice of someone recent even if they described a time and reality that didn't exist.

'Wasn't that the voice of your dad?' Chika Kinneas asked the figure that held the orb.

'Sounds like the way I remember it… but that can't be right… my parents died years ago…' Jaymie Croft answered his eyes not leaving the stone.

'Damn right cause he didn't kill my old man, no one's that good.'Zephyr Leonhart said huffily.

Jaymie shot him a glance but didn't say anything, then again he didn't have to as a fiery blonde shoved the dark haired Zephyr.

'You wish! My dad is just as good if not better than yours!' Dana Almasy told him sticking her tongue out.

'Will you two children give it up?' came the weary voice of Dylan Trepe, the oldest of the group at sixteen and showing the precocious maturity of his mother.

Jaymie was the second oldest at fifteen whilst the other three were thirteen. This excursion to the Centran ruins had began as a training exercise, their first time out of Garden alone, but was actually the beginning of something more when they came across the stone…

Author's Note: Well I hope those of you who read Jealousy and Tainted Blood like how this one starts. I have no idea where this one is going to go... the first two were basically me connecting the dots of major plot points but since I changed the beginning of this from Third to First person so that it'd make sense of how I was explaining things (I hope) I kind of also totally changed the whole plot idea for this... all I know it's going to be twisted. Lol

RML: Hope you're still with me here.

Dacera: Since you already second guessed this sequel I guess it's up to you to keep me from going too far off track with this one... especially since I'll be weaving ideas from how things could have gone from both endings of Tainted Blood, so I'm counting on you to keep me from losing it :)


	2. Friendship

A figure stood on top of the spire of the Centran ruins, the wind whipping his long silver hair which was black at the roots, his face covered by a black scarf so only his mismatched eyes, one red, one orange/yellow were visible, his body was wrapped in a cloak of some kind, one side of which was torn and fluttered around him. He had delivered the orb in this reality as he had been asked to do, his master not being too specific as to why he should do such a task. What was the point of telling this world of a past that didn't exist? But he couldn't argue with his closest friend, he must have a reason why these children needed to know these dark secrets, what would they have to face that needed such information. Or maybe there was no agenda to this, his friend may just be hoping to seek forgiveness for his sins as he grows older. Yet he was also ordered not to return, to see things through, she had been very clear on that. The young mistress was not someone you'd disobey lightly, also she had alluded to "things coming together", things technically he should know but this wasn't his world, he was disconnected from it.

_I'm unsure as to how to go about healing this world, I can't use force as it will mean hatred and fear on the part of the populace against Amie. For now all that counts is to heal the physical scars on the planet surface… I'm not sure if I have the ability to do that myself and Amie is still too young yet to try. The world politics hang in the balance now as the fear of Ultimecia hanging over them all has gone and Garden is too diminished to take up their place as peacekeepers, even a year and a half after Ultimecia's fall. Tensions have grown between Trabia and Galbadia once more as Galbadia scours the Estharian continent for minerals and materials that Trabia claims are rightfully theirs._

_Amie can walk now and is a precocious young girl, already talking and asking questions. She already knows what she is but I don't try to force it out of her like was done to me. My time is taken up with just stopping her getting hurt when she gets too adventurous and basically just staying hidden and surviving although this world may believe me dead now… I can only hope._

Second extract from audio journal.

'Are you still playing with that thing?' Zephyr asked huffily as he lay on the ground by the blazing fire in the centre of the chamber as stars twinkled in the sky above.

Jaymie didn't answer as he replayed that short passage again, taking in every word as the voice of his father filled his ears, a voice he hadn't heard in five years. It didn't seem to make sense, according to this his father was alive in the future somewhere, having been the lover of the most feared sorceress ever known and there was no mention of his mother. Only this girl Amie, his sister?

'You should get some sleep' Dylan said softly as he walked over.

Jaymie looked up at Dylan, his turquoise eyes unglazing as his focus came back from wherever his mind was. 'I need to know what this means…' he told the blond haired elder youth.

'It may come in a dream' Dylan said with a soft smile. 'Staying up all night listening to that won't bring answers, only questions. We'd be better off asking our parents' he added, the voice of reason.

'The reason we're here is so that we don't keep running to our parents!' Zephyr said huffily.

'Will you just shut up?' Dylan snapped, exasperated. 'That doesn't mean that we should be so stupid to not use the information sources we have available. They knew what happened with Jaymie's parents before we were born'

'Whatever' Zephyr muttered and rolled over resting his head on his folded arms.

Dylan gently prised the orb from Jaymie's hands. 'Just sleep okay? I'll take first watch then I'll wake you up for your turn.' He told him softly.

Jaymie's hand finally relaxed as his eyelids blinked in reply, his body lying down, finally unfolding from the hunched shape it had as it had crunched around the orb he had held. His back ached yet the hard ground beneath soothed, his head falling on his rolled up jacket. He could hear the soft breaths of the girls as they slept on the only two bedrolls they had brought with them. They had decided on taking it in turns to use them, getting used to sleeping rough. Jaymie's eyes closed and sleep came quickly, this was his second night sleeping on the hard floor of the room but tiredness helped in making this no ad version to slumber.

Dylan stood in the shadows of the room near the doorway, the flicker of flames casting yellow and orange specks in his blue eyes as he watched his friends sleep. He understood Jaymie's insistent need to know what was hidden in this orb, what it held about his parents. No doubt Dana understood that too, the three of them had parents missing, Jaymie's just vanishing on a mission five years ago, assumed dead, Dana's mother Fujin died in childbirth whilst he had no idea who his own father was and his mother gave no hints as to who it was as if ashamed or saddened by it all.

Zephyr just didn't get it, but then why would he? He had both his parents still alive and well, not to mention they were in charge of Garden. Life must be easy when your parents were at the top. Then again he couldn't complain, his mother Quistis was the bestInstructor in Garden, everyone loved her, though she seemed to have so much sadness in her eyes, especially when the Commander was around. Dylan guessed he only had this group of friends because of the fact that their parents were friends and had been through a lot of stuff themselves, and although Zephyr usually got on his nerves he wouldn't trade them in for anyone else, and if he never said it aloud he hoped that they knew he felt that way.

With all the thoughts running through his head it was obvious that this would come, this dream that would try and shelve all the mystery that had surrounded him into some semblance of events that could be understood. Unfortunately he was aware that it never works that way and instead the visions were bizarre amalgams of various thoughts and images that bore no meaning to the big discovery of the day. He dreamt he was running through a tunnel, the walls white and crumbling, holding a sword in bloodstained hands. That couldn't be, the rational voice whispered to himself as if he was watching himself from outside. I've never killed a human.

The vision flickered and he was confronted by an injured winged beast, one of its huge black feathered wings pouring blood from a ragged hole. The beast spiralling down from the sky at him, its red eyes locked on him as it screeched in agony.

Another flicker, another scene. A couple walking side by side, their backs to him, one with shortish brown hair, the other with long copper hair, walking towards a doorway filled with white light stepping through and devoured by it leaving him alone.

Flicker… now for something more familiar, long pale arms wrapping around his waist as blonde hair brushed his nose, a head nuzzling his chest affectionately, soothing the pain and confusion inside.

Jaymie woke, catching Dylan's hand as it came down to shake his shoulder. 'I'm awake' he said softly, the dream fading into the back of his mind, the last part just swirling away slowly, leaving a lingering sense of happiness.

Dylan had long stopped being surprised by Jaymie's sleeping reflexes. Sharing a dorm room with him had been an experience. He just wished he had such reflexes himself, Jaymie had caught him out way too many times when they were both trying out stealth as the other slept during their early training.

Jaymie sat up and passed Dylan his jacket as a pillow as he stretched, the older youth taking it with a smile and dropped it on the floor at a distance from the fire before laying down resting his cheek on it.

Jaymie brushed the dirt from his black sweater as best he could and decided against trying the same with his black jeans, the dust clinging to it like it did everything else in these ruins, like a second skin.

He cast his eyes over the three younger youths, still sleeping, his eyes resting on a head of long blonde hair for a while as he smiled at a fuzzy memory and picked up his gun-blade, a simple model with a Revolver gunstock that all gun-blade cadets got, just like Zephyr's, except Zephyr had a replica version of his father's Lionheart blade whilst Jaymie made his own, a blackened blade with a hooked point at the end and a serrated edge at the topside of the blade so he could use both sides.

In a way it was similar to his own father's blade but he felt it was nowhere near as good as Fixxer and wouldn't dishonour his father's blade by naming his own imitation after it. Instead he had called it Craven, not really wondering where the name had come from but it seemed to fit the dark twisted blade.

He doubted he would need to use it, the Centra Ruins had been pretty much deserted and there had been no monsters over the last few days other than the odd inquisitive Tonberry which seemed to toddle off after recognising Dylan, which had been odd as this was their first time here. Though maybe they could sense the Guardian Force Dylan held within, it being a Tonberry too. Wasn't there some story about the original Tonberry GF being the Tonberry King… well then that probably made Dylan's Ton a prince or something. It was funny thinking of GF's having children or clones, whatever they were. It seemed that once a GF reached a certain level it would give birth to a GF of similar form, the power of which depended on its compatibility with the one whom held it at the time of birth. No one ever suspected such a thing and they were only aware of this because of the relationship The Six had with the GFs they had come across on their big adventure. Strange how his friends were all children of The Six. He always felt that it was such a strange title for the Commander and the others but then if you didn't know who they were from that title then you had no right or need to.

He had declined a GF of his own on this training excursion or at any other time. He was seeking one out in the world, just like his father had. Destiny would have to send him a suitable Guardian rather than have one forced upon him. The others had their own GFs since they were young, Chika had a Thunder GF called Quez and an addiction for Triple Triad due to her ease of getting cards, Zephyr unsurprisingly was given Shiva's daughter whom he had named Shivani, whilst Dana had two GFs, Pandemona which had been her mother's and Ifra, son of Ifrit. These days cadets no longer have to worry about the memory loss side effects of junctioning as GFs are no longer directly attached to the mind, instead mystical ear studs were developed in Esthar which have the function of anchor between a GF and its user when worn. The colour of the gem in the stud depends on the GF type and Element. He always liked the way Dana's red and purple studs matched her eyes which usually were red though sometimes turned purple as her father's eye colouring leaked in.

Tonight was to be their last night alone, they were to be picked up in the morning and Jaymie didn't have the heart to wake any of them up to take next watch, no doubt they had plenty of things from the last few days they'd like to dream about since even if they hadn't had anything to fight, the exploration had been fun. He didn't want to sleep again tonight as the visions of his last dream had been too confusing to risk having again and the only enjoyable part he could stand and watch over while he was awake and conscious to enjoy it all the more.


	3. Test

Daylight leeched in through the doorway and the cracks in the masonry signalling the end of the training mission. Jaymie wondered who would come to fetch them and if they would be surprised that they found something more than just how to survive on their wits. At least Zephyr would stop grumbling about having to eat Centra gulls, though what did he expect when all they were given was a single days rations? They were expected to find and cook their own food, they wouldn't always be in a situation where food was readily available… for all the worshiping Zephyr did of his father, he sure couldn't match up to him, maybe the Commander should've been harder on him.

He could hear footsteps approaching as shoes crunched on the grit that littered the stairs of the ruins. The others were still asleep and didn't stir as the footsteps grew louder. No doubt this was part of the test and he would have to treat whoever was approaching as an enemy. That meant he couldn't shout the others to wake up as that would alert whoever was coming.

Jaymie gripped Craven and raised it slightly as he sunk into the corner of the room near the door. He didn't want to stand right by the door as they would look there first and probably be expecting someone there, but hopefully here in the shadows his dark clothes should hide him.

Someone crept to the doorway, looking either side before they crept through it, approaching the slumbering youths as they lay around the glowing embers of the fire. So far Jaymie couldn't see a weapon in their hands but he wasn't going to risk it, creeping from the corner himself towards the figure, avoiding the shafts of sunlight that would give him away.

The figure stopped as if having realised something was wrong, their head twisting this way and that but was too late as Jaymie slammed into them shoulder first. The figure twisted as they stumbled, using the momentum to flip backwards and land in a defensive crouch. Jaymie swung Craven at the figure who pushed it aside with their hand, the blade clattering off the back of their glove. The sound of battle caused the others to finally stir, hands reaching for weapons as their minds raced through the stages of confusion to full alertness.

So a fist fighter… Jaymie thought to himself as he swung Craven backwards, his shoulders screaming at him for the sudden change in motion. As the figure went to grab the blade in its backswing Jaymie released it so it continued in its arc slipping through the figures hands and Jaymie lunged at the figure wrapping his arm around their neck pulling them into a headlock but the taller figure grabbed Jaymie the same way as Jaymie's weight pulled him down and the two of them gripped each other tightly.

'Guess we have a stalemate' the figure said cheerfully in a voice Jaymie recognised.

'Only if you've got back up' Jaymie replied grinning not relaxing his grip.

The figure loosened his grip on Jaymie as he became aware of the sound of various weapons being unsheathed. 'Took them long enough' he muttered as he released his grip on Jaymie and started to stand, Jaymie finally letting go too but not giving up easily, slamming a fist into the figure's stomach causing them to grunt in surprise.

'You're getting sloppy Instructor' Jaymie said softly as the figure wheezed.

'Cheap shot' the figure muttered.

'Well you're the one always telling us not let our guard down Uncle' Dylan said dryly as the others relaxed their postures.

'Hey what did I tell you about calling me that?' the figure replied chuckling.

'So is it time to go back to Garden Uncle Zell?' Chika asked sarcastically.

'I give up…' Zell groaned, running a hand through his blond spiky hair. 'Well I guess I'm still better than you kids… not waking up till it was too late… gonna bring your points down a little' he added with a smirk.

'Says the one who can't wake up for his alarm?' Dylan teased.

'Okay enough back chat… get your stuff and head down to the Ragnarok' Zell bellowed and the youths started to pack up what little things they had with them.

A low muffled sound caused Zell to stop in his tracks, a sound that he shouldn't be able to hear unless Jaymie's blow had knocked a screw loose somewhere.

'What's that?' he hissed his eyes darting around the room checking all shadows.

Dylan looked down as he realised where the sound was coming from, dipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out the orb from which issued more of Jayson's monologue. 'Jaymie how do you turn this thing off again?' he asked, turning it this way and that.

Jaymie rushed over taking the orb from Dylan's hand and ran his fingers over the surface, the voice suddenly cutting off.

'What is that?' Zell asked, the hair still standing up on his arms as hearing that voice chilled him.

'It's some kind of orb we found, we thought it was a key to a secret chamber or something and then we found that it contained a recording… of my father…' Jaymie told him, cradling the orb tightly in his hands once more.

'Is it from his last mission?' Zell asked hopefully.

'No… it's from the future, after Ultimecia dies…' Jaymie answered slowly

'Huh?' Zell muttered bemused.

'Same as we thought… but you don't seem to be surprised about the orb itself, how come? We've never seen one before…' Dana said after a moment's silence.

'Umm… well…' Zell stammered, the eyes of all the youths making him nervous.

'It doesn't matter… come on you lot we've got to get back to the Ragnarok. As for that orb we can get someone to look at it when we get back home.' Zell told them once he regained his composure.

There were some murmurs of dissent but a stern glance from Zell caused them to fade, the five teenagers slinging their bags over their shoulders and heading out the doorway and down through the ruins in silent thought as Zell followed behind.

The torn cloak fluttered in the wind as the figure watched them heading towards the red dragonesque airship below. He had memories of his own about that airship and one like it, and as with all memories some were good, some were bad. The cloak unravelled from him exposing what lay beneath, legs encased in grey shabby, baggy pants and his torso covered in a deep red vest, his arms a golden tan whilst images of claws blurred faintly at his fingertips. The fabric of the cloak morphed as it streamed out behind his back becoming more ruffled and feather like, the wings now unfolding and flapping once and he dropped from the top of the tower, the swoop turned into an upward glide as he flew ahead to where they would be going before they could spot him. With one last look he sped away on the horizon wondering which of those below was the one.

Alarms sounded as this figure ran through corridors of glassed walls, rivulets of blood running down his forearms as he threw the rubber tubes to the floor, the needles tinkling on the ground. He felt nauseous but he knew it would pass, it always did. All he had to go was get out of here and then they'd see, no one would be able to stop him and then there would be no more need for this pain. He just needed to find him and prove himself once and for all.


	4. Secrets

_The world continues down its darkening path, tensions growing between Galbadia and Trabia as they hunt for the metal that lies on the ocean's floor. The coasts littered with chewed carcasses, ravaged by scavenging beasts that roam the deserted battlefields feasting on the easy supply of meat. Garden is losing its grip on peace as Galbadia now has Dollet on its side, promising it a share of the rare alloy for use in their communications satellites. Trabia is slowly slipping into decline, isolated by itself on the Esthar continent, unable to keep up its supply of weapons against the mighty Galbadian military. I know not how much longer the world could survive this war and Amie is still too immature to be of any help. I may have to take the risk of stepping in myself and resolving this conflict before there is no world to save…_

Squall sat at his desk his gaze fixed upon the orb that rested on the paperwork atop it as the young cadets watched and waited with baited breath for his reaction to the fading words.

'Could this be a warning of what will happen in our future?' Squall said softly giving Zell a look whose meaning was indecipherable.

Zephyr's eyes widened in shock as realisation dawned as what that could mean. 'No…' he said softly to himself, his fist clenching as he shot Jaymie a look of hatred as if blaming him for what seemed to be his father's death sentence.

'That's hard to say, there doesn't seem to be any reference of a clear date so far in the dialogue, nor to his last mission. The very first reference is to Ultimecia's fallen castle' a voice said softly from the corner of the room, all eyes turning to its source, that of the forgettable features of Chief Technician Nida.

'What about the orb itself? None of you seem surprised about it… you've never told us anything about objects like this!' Jaymie spoke up.

Nida flashed Squall a brief questioning look and there was an imperceptible nod from the Commander before Nida continued to answer the question.

'It's made of crystallised magic, formed and shaped into whatever the creator desires its function to be. However the creator needs to be an extremely powerful magic user to be able to control such force. Therefore such objects are linked to pure blooded Sorceresses. First and up until this point only example of such an object was that uncovered during mission ES-X9B 19 years ago.'

'So could mother make such an object?' Zephyr asked his anger briefly displaced by awe.

"ES-X9B?" Jaymie thought memorising the code.

'No, she isn't pure blooded. Those like Hyne, Edea, Adel and Ultimecia can.' Squall replied watching as Zephyr's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

'And this Amie?' Dylan added.

Again the adults in the room shared a brief glance between themselves, the sharing of an unspoken secret.

'I guess so' Squall replied hoping that the answer would distract them from the discrepancy in the journal of the orb. It was painful to do this to their own children, especially Jaymie but Jayson's secret had to be kept, to protect Jaymie from Garden as well as the darkness inside himself. Jayson and Meia had made them promise this should anything have happened to them.

'So what now sir? My father's still alive right? Shouldn't we search for him?' Jaymie asked hopefully.

Squall looked down at the orb once more. 'That we can't be sure on…' he said softly.

'You have everything you need?' he looked up at Nida.

'We have a recording of the entire vocal transcript and molecular model of the orb' Nida replied.

'Right… then I guess you can hold onto this' Squall said picking up the orb and passing it to Jaymie with a look of understanding in his eyes.

'Just don't let it interfere with your studies! We'll let you know what we find out!' Zell scolded them to which they all groaned.

'Alright, dismissed' Squall said softly and watched them all file out the door, waiting until it slid shut before he started to talk once more.

'Do you think Jayson and Meia came across another Weapon like Spore?' he asked softly.

'There was never any mention of disturbances like those of ES-X9B during their last mission, why?' Nida responded.

'I'm wondering whether they have been captured and possessed, why else would Jayson turn on Garden and destroy Esthar?'

'You want me to take a team out to Esthar to have a look for anything related to Spore?' Zell asked.

'In more ways than one yes… you can pick your own team and make sure your classes are covered before you go' Squall told him.

Zell glanced at the door where the children had not long exited 'What shall we tell the kids?' he asked.

'I'll think of something, for now we'll keep the mission secret' Squall answered with a heavy sigh.

The five of them walked down the corridor, Zephyr keeping some distance between himself and Jaymie as he tried to quell the thoughts that rose in his head. He knew his father was mortal but that didn't mean he could be killed by anything other than time as far as he was concerned. Jaymie's dad couldn't kill him, it must all be a twisted joke, a lie of a failed SeeD trying to make a name for himself. They hadn't even confirmed that what was in the orb was real yet, only that a sorceress could make it. For all they knew Jayson could have just found the orb himself and learnt how to use it, cover up the fact he failed his last mission and hide his shame with a story to cover it up.

Chika skipped down the corridor alongside Zephyr, the two bunches of her brown hair bouncing with each step as she moved out in front of Zephyr and started walking backwards in front of him.

'Hey why so quiet? It's not like you to get lost in thought!' she teased him.

'Why you!' Zephyr said hotly and started chasing her down the corridor, as she ran away giggling leaving Dana, Dylan and Jaymie behind.

'Let me guess, you're going to go to the library to check the archives right?' Dylan said softly.

'Huh?' Jaymie murmured breaking his silence and the gaze he held upon the orb, still transfixed and wondering what secrets it still held.

'Come on, we know you want to check out what ES-X9B was about!' Dana said smiling at him.

'How..?' he started.

'We know you well enough to know how you think besides it's not like we're not intrigued either' Dylan replied softly slapping him on the shoulder.

'Yeah especially when the adults don't want us to get involved' Dana added, her red eyes twinkling in excitement.

'What about them?' Jaymie asked nodding to the fading Zephyr and Chika.

'We'll fill them in later if they actually give a damn, for now they'll just be a distraction' Dylan said with a rough chuckle.

'Well we're free for the day so why not?' Jaymie replied with a grin and the three of them headed towards the library, the air around them buzzing with anticipation of what they'd find.

Zell left Squall's office, his fingers stroking the tattoo on the left side of his face distractedly as they usually did when he was troubled. He didn't like the idea of keeping things from the kids even if it was for their own good. He knew well enough that they'd go out of their way to find out the truth themselves if they were kept in the dark for too long, and then they'd get themselves into the trouble they were supposed to be protected from. He wondered if that's why Nida dropped the mission file for Spore to them, to give them something to keep them occupied, or maybe he didn't realise he'd given them that clue?

Either way surely the file was protected? Only a few high ranking SeeDs knew about what happened back then, just like anything else related to Jayson, even now certain fact were omitted from the file on the events during and just after ES-X9B, when Seifer was set up for murder. Zell sometimes wondered whether some secrets were much more dangerous than the truth they hid. Still now he had to decide who to take with him to Esthar, he'd prefer to take those in the know then the briefing would be easier and he wouldn't have to lie so much, he had enough secrets now without having to complicate things and add anymore.


	5. Information

The three of them crowded the monitor as numerous file names scrolled down the screen. Even though they had narrowed the time period to nineteen years ago the number of mission files was immense.

'This could take hours! It's not even like they're in alphabetical order!' Dana groaned leaning back in her seat.

'Wait… got it!' Dylan said excitedly and clicked on the icon to open it.

A soft buzz issued from the speakers of the monitor in warning as a window flashed up 'Access Denied. Require Security Clearance Code'

'Damn it!' Jaymie growled slamming his fist down on the desk beside the keyboard.

'No wonder Nida let us know the file code, he knew we wouldn't be able to get to it. Makes you wish we took those Advanced InfoTech courses huh?' Dylan said softly.

'Maybe we could guess the code? I mean it's for the higher ups like our parents so surely we can work it out since it'd have to be something they'd remember easily' Dana suggested.

'But if we get it wrong, we're doomed. You know what happens if we alert the security program' Jaymie replied, glaring at the offending window.

'Well none of us are good enough to even try and hack it so what do you suggest?' Dylan quipped and there was a soft beep from the monitor that caught their attention.

The window had been replaced by one that now read 'Access Granted' and the file began to open as a document file.

'Hey what did you do?' Dana asked looking at Jaymie.

'Don't look at me I didn't touch anything!' Jaymie replied.

'Who cares? We're in right? Lets see what they didn't want us to know!' Dylan cut in.

As the three youths started to read the file Nida grinned at his own computer screen before returning to the transcript from the orb. He had plenty reading of his own to get through and if he could keep those kids occupied long enough for him to get through it all so much the better. He had no worries about them uncovering anything too major for ES-X9B was merely a ghost file, the full file was encrypted behind it in a sub file which only he had access to. Squall and the others had no need to access it themselves for they had witnessed it all in person and kept it all in their memories.

Meanwhile Seifer looked up from his desk as the shadow fell across him. 'What can I do for you Instructor?' he said with a wry smile.

'I figured I'd give you a break from all your paperwork Instructor' Zell replied sarcastically putting stress upon the word Instructor.

'Is that an offer for me to wipe the floor with you in the Training Centre again Zell?' he grinned.

'You wish' Zell retorted. 'I've got a mission for you. We're going to Esthar'

'Wait… a mission? Since when do we get missions anymore?' Seifer snorted.

'Since it involves Jayson' Zell said softly.

Seifer froze and shot Zell a darkened look 'We finally got some information about them?' he asked.

'The kids found an orb in the Centran ruins with his voice on it. Squall wants us to head out and look for anything that may be similar to the Spore Incident. Truth is we're still clutching at straws here, the orb tells of a dark future even after Ultimecia falls there and somehow Jayson is there…' Zell told him.

'So it's just us two then?' Seifer asked.

'Well know anyone else who we can explain this easily to?' Zell replied 'And don't say Rinoa!' he added quickly.

'Guess it leaves us the Cowboy or the Sunflower then' Seifer said sighing.

The three of them sat back from the screen in awed silenced, the words commanding their gaze.

'There was a father of WEAPONs and Hyne?' Dylan said finally breaking the silence.

'They never taught us that in Bestiary Studies…' Dana said softly.

'Forget that, I'm surprised they could even kill it!' Jaymie replied.

Dylan peered at the screen 'Seems there was a trick when they let Spore out the orb, the weaker the magic they used to let him out the weaker they was' he told them.

'Okay so what relevance does this have to our orb?' Jaymie said letting out a deep sigh of disappointment.

'Who knows? Could be everything or nothing. Could just be their way of keeping us occupied' Dylan said leaning back in his chair so that he was looking up into a pair of mismatched eyes, one red, one orange.

'Could just be the start of explaining everything you want to know to you' the figure told them his voice muffled by the black scarf that covered his mouth.

Dylan snapped upright as the other two spun in their seats to face this figure.

'Who are you?' Dana stammered.

The figure grabbed an empty chair and straddled it facing the three youths. 'Call me Orion' he said his eyes twinkling.

The name triggered the rising of memories inside Jaymie's head. 'You're my father's GF! You've come back?' he blurted as the thoughts bubbled to the forefront of his mind.

'Well that saves me asking… you must be Jaymie correct?' Orion replied. 'As for coming back, that's not strictly correct. I'm not the same Orion your father was bonded to'

'What you're the child of Orion then?' Dylan asked.

'No I am Orion just not the one from this reality. Look, did you work out how to use the orb you found?'

'Wait you gave us this orb?' Jaymie asked pulling it from his pocket.

'What do you mean not this reality?' Dana asked almost overlapping Jaymie's words.

'One at a time please!' Orion said laughing. 'Yes I was sent to give you the orb to prepare you for something to come. As for what it is I've no more clues than you do except it is to do with your father'

'So it's not the world that is described in the orb?' Dylan asked softly.

Orion smiled under the scarf at the boy's quickness of thought 'That's right, the world in the orb is the one from which I have been sent, where Jayson Croft is alive and well but none of you exist or ever did. It is the world where Jayson made a choice, one where he ended up in the future, whereas in this world he took the other option in that choice.' He explained.

'So essentially we're a parallel dimension to yours that's centred on my father's choice back then?' Jaymie replied.

'That's how to put it succinctly' Orion said. 'Spore was the event that set off the two paths that we inhabit, both of which may have dark conclusions. For now Jayson and Amie are working on their reality and it is up to you to make sure that this one doesn't share its dark fate'

'You expect us to stop the world descending into war? We're not even SeeDs yet!' Dana gasped.

'That's merely a name, you all know you have the talents to achieve anything you want to if you try' Orion said.

Dylan gave Jaymie look 'I think our biggest problem is trying to explain this to the other two' he said wryly.


End file.
